After 2 plus years, all my chickens have gone to chicken heaven.
Here's the deal:
Sometime in June, the 9 hens began laying very sporadically. Sometimes I would get 2-3 eggs a day. Sometimes just 2 every other day. OK...they're probably molting.
But I never really saw any of the gals losing their feathers...just the occasional one or two that I expect came from Albie Darn's voracious appetite for s_x.
Then a couple of months ago, Sam found one of the girls in the road, obviously injured by the one of the psycho farmers who care not that this is a dirt road full of pot holes, and careen down here willy nilly, paying never mind to the odd fowl that may be trying to cross the road.
She died a few hours later, a peaceful departure on a blanket in the garage.
Then Albie Darn began getting very aggressive.
Like in, chasing me around the yard.
Like in, me turning on him, rebuking him, threatening him, and finally me running into the house hollering at Pete to get the gun and KILL that S.O.B.
He wouldn't do it.
So...any time I left the house and the chickens were free ranging here in the yard, I brought a broom or a stick with me to fend off any possible attacks from Albie.
That meant when I wanted to hang clothes out on the line, I had to carry a big stick along with the heavy basket.
I was NOT happy with Albie.
Then yesterday, when I let the gang out 1st thing in the morning, they tumbled out of the hen house into their "play yard", and began viciously attacking one of their own!
Seems she had an owie on her head, and the chickens go for blood.
I tried to "shoo" them off her, but they were relentless. I yelled for Pete to bring a broom and get them off that poor beat up girl, and he came running out in his pj"s and stocking feet and chased them away. We put her outside their fenced in area, and she lay with her head to the ground for nearly 2 hours.
I thought they'd killed her.
Slowly, she began moving around the yard and pretty much had the 1 1/2 acres to herself for the day.
But...I had had it.
I have so much drama in my life right now, I was simply NOT up to caring for a bunch of cannibals who were giving me very little in return.
I put the whole lot of them on "Craig's List", and by evening they were gone.
I am contemplating whether or not to get some more right away, or wait till spring.
Give me a few days to absorb all that is happening here, and I'll be sure to let y'all know what I do.
Meanwhile, those of you who are prayin' folks, keep us in mind.
Some real challenges going on round here.
Love,
Cyn
Sometime in June, the 9 hens began laying very sporadically. Sometimes I would get 2-3 eggs a day. Sometimes just 2 every other day. OK...they're probably molting.
But I never really saw any of the gals losing their feathers...just the occasional one or two that I expect came from Albie Darn's voracious appetite for s_x.
Then a couple of months ago, Sam found one of the girls in the road, obviously injured by the one of the psycho farmers who care not that this is a dirt road full of pot holes, and careen down here willy nilly, paying never mind to the odd fowl that may be trying to cross the road.
She died a few hours later, a peaceful departure on a blanket in the garage.
Then Albie Darn began getting very aggressive.
Like in, chasing me around the yard.
Like in, me turning on him, rebuking him, threatening him, and finally me running into the house hollering at Pete to get the gun and KILL that S.O.B.
He wouldn't do it.
So...any time I left the house and the chickens were free ranging here in the yard, I brought a broom or a stick with me to fend off any possible attacks from Albie.
That meant when I wanted to hang clothes out on the line, I had to carry a big stick along with the heavy basket.
I was NOT happy with Albie.
Then yesterday, when I let the gang out 1st thing in the morning, they tumbled out of the hen house into their "play yard", and began viciously attacking one of their own!
Seems she had an owie on her head, and the chickens go for blood.
I tried to "shoo" them off her, but they were relentless. I yelled for Pete to bring a broom and get them off that poor beat up girl, and he came running out in his pj"s and stocking feet and chased them away. We put her outside their fenced in area, and she lay with her head to the ground for nearly 2 hours.
I thought they'd killed her.
Slowly, she began moving around the yard and pretty much had the 1 1/2 acres to herself for the day.
But...I had had it.
I have so much drama in my life right now, I was simply NOT up to caring for a bunch of cannibals who were giving me very little in return.
I put the whole lot of them on "Craig's List", and by evening they were gone.
I am contemplating whether or not to get some more right away, or wait till spring.
Give me a few days to absorb all that is happening here, and I'll be sure to let y'all know what I do.
Meanwhile, those of you who are prayin' folks, keep us in mind.
Some real challenges going on round here.
Love,
Cyn
